'Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South' (2001)

'Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South' (2001)

"Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South" is not a blockbuster. It's better.

Those seeking beautiful paintings and drawings by two of the most popular artists of the 19th century will still find them -- in abundance. But the achievement of the exhibition lies in how it illuminates work that long has been well-known and, in some quarters, taken for granted without having been fully examined.

The nine weeks that Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin worked together in Arles, France, have figured prominently even in Hollywood films about the artists; appropriately so, for the culmination of their stay was the very stuff of drama: Van Gogh cut off his ear. Yet in the 113 years since that happened, there never has been an exhibition that explored the artistic consequences of the Arles sojourn, showing clearly the effects the artists had on each other's work. "Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South" attempts this -- and succeeds brilliantly.

"Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South" is not a blockbuster. It's better.

Those seeking beautiful paintings and drawings by two of the most popular artists of the 19th century will still find them -- in abundance. But the achievement of the exhibition lies in how it illuminates work that long has been well-known and, in some quarters, taken for granted without having been fully examined.

The nine weeks that Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin worked together in Arles, France, have figured prominently even in Hollywood films about the artists; appropriately so, for the culmination of their stay was the very stuff of drama: Van Gogh cut off his ear. Yet in the 113 years since that happened, there never has been an exhibition that explored the artistic consequences of the Arles sojourn, showing clearly the effects the artists had on each other's work. "Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South" attempts this -- and succeeds brilliantly.

"Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South" is not a blockbuster. It's better.

Those seeking beautiful paintings and drawings by two of the most popular artists of the 19th century will still find them -- in abundance. But the achievement of the exhibition lies in how it illuminates work that long has been well-known and, in some quarters, taken for granted without having been fully examined.

The nine weeks that Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin worked together in Arles, France, have figured prominently even in Hollywood films about the artists; appropriately so, for the culmination of their stay was the very stuff of drama: Van Gogh cut off his ear. Yet in the 113 years since that happened, there never has been an exhibition that explored the artistic consequences of the Arles sojourn, showing clearly the effects the artists had on each other's work. "Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South" attempts this -- and succeeds brilliantly.